Dewey Decimal Classification System and Call Numbers
Melvil Dewey developed the Dewey Decimal Classification System in 1876 books.
This classification system has ten major subject headings or classes. These classes can be
subdivided into ten subclasses that can be divided into ten subclasses, etc.
000 Generalities 520 Astronomy and Allied Sciences
010 Bibliography 530 Physics
020 Library and Information Sciences 540 Chemistry and Allied Sciences
030 General Encyclopedic Works 550 Science of Earth and Other Worlds
060 General Organizations and 560 Paleontology
Musicology 570 Life Sciences
070 Journalism, Publishing, Newspapers 580 Botanical Sciences
080 General Collections 590 Zoological Sciences
090 Manuscripts and Book Rarities
600 Technology (Applied Sciences)
100 Philosophy and Related Disciplines 610 Medical Sciences
110 Metaphysics 620 Engineering and Allied Operations
120 Epistemology, Causation, Humankind 630 Agriculture
130 Paranormal Phenomena 640 Home Economics and Family Living
140 Specific Philosophical Viewpoints 650 Management and Auxiliary Services
150 Psychology 660 Chemical and Related Technologies
160 Logic 670 Manufactures
170 Ethics (Moral Philosophy) 680 Manufacture for Specific Uses
180 Ancient, Medieval, Oriental 690 Buildings
190 Modern Western Philosophy
700 The Arts
200 Religion 710 Civic and Landscape Art
210 Natural Religion 720 Architecture
220 Bible 730 Plastic Arts Sculpture
230 Christian Theology 740 Drawing, Decorative and Minor Arts
240 Christian Moral and Devotional 750 Painting and Paintings
250 Local Church and Religious Orders 760 Graphic Arts Prints
260 Social and Ecclesiastical Theology 770 Photography and Photographs
270 History and geography of Church 780 Music
280 Christian denominations and Sects 790 Recreational and Performing Arts
290 Other and comparative religions 796 Sports
300 Social Sciences 800 Literature
310 Statistics 810 American Literature in English
320 Political Science 820 English and Anglo-Saxon Literature
330 Economics 830 Literatures of Germanic Languages
340 Law 840 Literatures of Romance Languages
350 Public Administration 850 Italian, Romanian
360 Social Problems and Services 860 Spanish and Portuguese Literatures
370 Education 870 Italic Literatures (Latin)
380 Commerce 880 Hellenic Literatures (Greek)
390 Customs, Etiquette, Folklore 890 Literature of other Languages
400 Language 900 General Geography and History
410 Linguistics 910 General Geography
420 English and Anglo-Saxon Languages 920 General Biographies
430 Germanic languages (German) 930 General History of the Ancient World
440 Romance Languages (French) 940 General History of Europe
450 Italian, Romanian, Rhaeto-Romanic 950 General History of Asia
470 Italic languages (Latin) 960 General History of Africa
480 Hellenic Classical (Greek) 970 General History of North America
490 Other Languages 980 General History of South America
990 General History of Other Areas
500 Pure Sciences
510 Mathematics
Reading the Dewey Number: The first 3 digits of a Dewey number should be read as a
whole number with a decimal following the third number: 570 should be read five hundred
seventy or five seven zero decimal, and any number after the decimal should be read
decimally. Please review the examples below:
320.099
320.545
320.9
320.947
320.956
320.968
320.973
Call Numbers
A call number is combination of numbers, letters and symbols which identifies a book,
videocassette or other materials in the Library Media Center. Each CBA call number has at
least 2 parts: the Dewey Classification number and the first 3 letters of the authors last name
or the first three letters of the title of the book. Other components may be included:
Location code directs patrons to the area in which this book is located.
REF Reference
SC Story Collection
NP Non-Print
PRO Professional
VID Video
CAS Cassette
Edition Date The year when the book was published
Volume Number The book’s volume number in a set of books such as
encyclopedias
Copy Number Used the library media center has more than one copy of a book
NP Location code for non-print
CAS Location code for audio cassette
812 Dewey number
DEA First three letters of the title of the cassette
REF Location code for reference materials
031 Dewey number
ACA First three letters of the title of the book
1992 Edition date
V. 19 Volume number
PRO Location code for Professional area
370.11 Dewey number
LIC First three letters of author’s last name
Spine Label The sticker (label) on the skinny side (the spine) of the book and has the call
number on it.
Fiction Books Fictions books are arranged by the author’s last name and have a location
code of FIC.
FIC Location code
KIN First three letters of the author’s last name
FIC Location code
STE First three letters of author’s last name
Shelf List An author may write several fiction books. To arrange these books on the shelf,
use the title of the book to determine the order on the shelf. First words such as “The”, “A”
“AN” are ignored.
FIC AIK Black Hearts in Battersea
FIC AIK The Embroidered Sunset
FIC AIK The Five-Minute Marriage
FIC KIN Bag of Bones
FIC KIN Black House
FIC KIN Firestarter
822.33 SHA Antony and Cleopatra
822.33 SHA King Henry VIII
822.33 SHA The Taming of the Shrew